Care of a Loved One
by Unease
Summary: Lucy and Erza have an argument over a broken vase which once belonged to Lucy's mother. They reconcile in a way neither would have expected. Bad title, bad summary. Fluffy oneshot. (Erza/Lucy). T to be safe.


**Just a little idea that popped into my head, and I've been needing to release a big rush of ErLu love, so here it is! Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: Don't own Fairy Tail at all.**

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Snow was falling upon the rooftops of Magnolia. The white crystals settled gently on the brickwork and pavements of the town, children's footprints disturbing the soft, white blanket. Their joyful shouts permeated the air, their padded boots crunching into the cold layer. Although such merriment should have been present throughout the whole of Magnolia, two of its inhabitants were certainly not feeling it.

"Get out!" Lucy screamed, throwing a hefty book at her girlfriend of three years, "Just go!"

Erza, somewhat shocked at the accuracy of the lob, smacked the book aside with a forearm: "Please Lucy, calm down. You're not yourself right now."

Ignoring the attempts to subdue her anger, Lucy opened the door to her apartment and attempted to push Erza towards it, though the older girl was having none of it, simply rooted to the spot. It was then that Lucy drew one of her keys, Taurus, from a pocket. Erza's eyes widened.

"L-Lucy... please, there is no need for force," she reasoned, beginning to make her way out of the room, "I'm sorry for what has happened, but I swear it wasn't-"

"Stop dodging responsibility and leave!"

Lucy slammed the door shut once the red-haired mage had left the room, the frame shaking from the impact. Leaning back against the wood, she slid down it until she sat on the floor. With her face in her arms, she sobbed quietly to the silence of the apartment, which seemed too big now that Erza had gone. Once her anger had subsided into a dull pang of sadness, Lucy reflected on the events that had taken place.

Indeed, with hindsight, Lucy could see that perhaps Erza was telling the truth. Maybe it was not her fault that the vase had been knocked from the table. Lucy only remembered hearing a loud crash, prompting her to rip off the bedsheets to investigate, only to find her lover looking distraught over a hundred shards of what used to be Layla Heartfilia's vase, sweeping them up in her hands. This was the only item Lucy had been able to recover from the old Heartfilia estate after it was ransacked by thieves.

"How could you!" Lucy had yelled, adrenaline searing through her system as her anger level increased, in that moment wanting to hurt Erza as much as the sight of broken pottery hurt her. Looking back, Lucy realised this was an irrational way to feel in reaction to an accident. Gazing out of the window as tears dried on her face, she wondered where Erza had gone, imagining a lone figure walking away in the snow.

_'I'm sorry, Erza. I don't even care about the vase. Please come back to me."_

–

Erza sat outside Lucy's apartment building, the cold snow hitting her face. Though it was still relatively early in the night, the conditions were freezing. She did not care, however. The numbness had made itself at home in her bones long ago. Lucy's callous glare had felt as painful as a stake to the heart, and although the accident was exactly that, an accident, she still questioned the events leading up to the vase falling from the table.

_'I never even touched the vase...' _She thought, puzzled over the entire event, _'that I know. I always pay attention to where it is... I know it means so much to Lucy.'_

The cold wind swirled around her, making her shiver. Though she could have equipped into something warmer, Erza had initially preferred the sharp bite of the cold, wanting every bit of punishment she could get. As she watched the flakes swirl down from the cloudy sky, an idea suddenly struck her.

_'Of course, I can find something else from the estate! It wont make up for what has been lost, but perhaps it can help.'_

Sighing, she pulled herself up from the wet floor with aching joints, finally changing into her usual armour from her bedclothes. She winced as she felt a bruise on her leg throb, attained when one of Lucy's airborne objects finally landed a hit. This thought brought a smile to Erza's lips.

_'Look at that, Lucy. Even your attempts to hurt me make me love you more.'_

With a hand over her eyes to block out the snow, she set off into the night, a sense of resolve in her step and a goal in her heart.

_'I will make it up to you.'_

–

The Heartfilia estate had long ago been abandoned. Even looking at it could trigger chills down the spine of an average person. Many windows had been smashed, pieces of sharp glass jutting out like teeth from window frames. The hedges were overgrown and grass now ridden with weeds so tall that they peeked out from under the snowy blanket. Even the path towards the main building was punctured by plant-life forcing its way through the cracks in the stone. Indeed, any average person may have been a little afraid.

But Erza Scarlet was not average. Not caring about the dilapidated state of the building, she strode quickly down the path, finding the front doors wide open. This was not unusual, as many thieves had come and gone for their share of Heartfilia loot. Upon entering the foyer, Erza immediately noted the broken statues and destroyed paintings, the main casualties of time. The sight was rather sad; after all, Lucy could probably remember each one from her childhood. The thought filled the mage with anger.

Shaking off her frustration and remembering she had a job to do, she began to search the house for any heirlooms that may have remained. The only objects that greeted her upon opening each door seemed to be peeling wallpaper, broken furniture and glass fragments, with the smell of decay following her wherever she went.

_**CRASH!**_

Erza whipped her head around at the sound, her anger at thieves returning to her system. It was on this impulse that she followed the noise to a room at the end of a long corridor. Bracing herself for a fight, she barged open the door with a shoulder, ready for the forthcoming confrontation...

That never came. Instead, all she saw was an open window, the strong gusts of wind dragging a helpless, moth-eaten curtain halfway out of it. A large mirror leant against the far wall, its glass broken.

_'That must have caused the crash,' _Erza deduced, scanning the room and allowing herself to relax slightly, _'no intruders here.'_

Disheartened at the fruitless journey through the Heartfilia house, unable to turn up even something small, she prepared to leave, hoping she could make it up to Lucy through other means. It was then that a ray of moonlight penetrated the clouds, filling the dank room with a milky light. Something glistened on the faded burgundy carpet.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Erza walked over to the object, expecting it to be a piece of small glass or something equally as disappointing. Her eyes widened however when she saw that it was a golden ring. Kneeling down, she gently picked up the jewellery and inspected it. The golden band was studded with three gems: a ruby, sapphire and an emerald. Erza felt like she had been punched in the chest as she held it, and a new objective entered her mind.

When she made to get up however, she gasped in shock.

"Lucy!" She cried, heart hammering in her chest.

In a shard of the broken mirror opposite her, she saw her own bewildered reflection along with a blonde-haired, brown-eyed woman. The woman seemed to be smiling. _'No, not quite Lucy.' _Erza spun round on the spot, only to be greeted with the sight of dusty bookshelves. A glance back at the mirror only showed her in its picture, the woman absent.

In that moment, Erza Scarlet became an average person, her insides quivering in fear, not stopping to look back at the mansion as she hastily escaped, the ring in tow.

–

"Where is she?" Lucy asked the empty space of her apartment, clutching a pillow to her chest. Feeling the need for fresh air, she released the pillow and slipped a blanket over her shoulders, shuffling in her slippers to the door. Upon exiting the apartment building, Lucy stood in the main doorway, leaning against the frame as she inhaled the crisp air and admired the snowy wonderland. She yelped in surprise when she looked to her right, seeing a dark lump sat against the wall.

"Erza!" She yelled, crouching in front of the frozen girl, not caring in that moment about the temperature. Moving the cape of red hair from Erza's face, Lucy could see that she was frozen to the core and unconscious.

"You're so... stupid... sometimes!" She moaned as she pulled Erza inside the apartment, laying her on the bed, "seriously, I'm never dragging you up any stairs again. Don't you think that just because I love you that I'm gonna do this every time you get drunk with Natsu or do something stupid!"

As she waited for Erza to defrost, Lucy laid next to her, reading a novel, though she was not engrossed. Eventually, she gave up the attempt to read, and instead stroked Erza's forehead gently, kissing the girl lightly. After an hour or so, a soft whisper attracted her attention.

"I'm... so... sorry." Erza breathed, struggling to pull herself to a sitting position next to her girlfriend. Lucy scowled.

"Don't you ever do that again! You would have frozen out there! You've been out in the snow for hours." Lucy chided, though immensely relieved that Erza seemed to be okay, a flood of emotion slamming into her stomach as she looked into familiar brown eyes.

"I haven't," Erza started, clenching her fist, "I've actually been to your estate."

"What?" Lucy asked in shock, "Why? There is nothing there any more."

"That's where you're wrong.. I found this ring." Erza revealed, opening the clenched fist to reveal the golden ring, glinting in the low light of the room. Tears filled Lucy's eyes.

"My mother's ring!" She exclaimed, "b-but how? This must have been taken by thieves, there's no way..."

She reached out to pluck the ring from her girlfriend's thumb and index finger, only to find that the requip mage would not let go.

"Erza, let me-"

"I'm sorry Lucy. The only way you can obtain this ring is if you allow me to put it on your left ring finger." Erza declared, eyes fixated on Lucy's. Lucy gasped with realization, looking for signs of trickery or jest, but she found none. Although Erza's statement had been declared with the utmost confidence, Lucy could see her fear through the trembling of her irises.

"W-what?" She asked, unable to form any coherent speech. Erza merely remained silent, aware that if she tried to speak, her voice would fail her.

Lucy's heart was racing madly as she lifted her left hand to the ring. Though her fingers quivered under the weight and happiness of the moment, the answer to the unspoken question was stronger than anything she had ever known, apart from her love for the other mage. She rested her forehead on Erza's, a tear slipping down her cheek.

"Yes, Erza."

Upon the uttering of those two words, the ring was slipped on, the deed sealed with a gentle yet passionate kiss as the lovers embraced and prepared for the next happy chapter of their lives.

_**End**_

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_**And with her daughter's safety and happiness cemented forever, Layla Heartfilia considered herself fully departed, to be bathed in the stars forevermore.**_

**The above line is a massively cheesy one to compliment the idea that Layla helped our bumbling lovebirds along the way, which is what I initially had in mind but in the end I wanted to leave it up to the reader. This story moved a bit fast, I admit, but I like writing fluff, and I wanted to contribute to the small ErLu pool! No matter how rusty your writing fingers are, get that pen to paper if you have any ideas! :)**

**Hope you enjoyed the story, thank you very much for reading!**


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